In criminal trials, it's the rule that defendants waive their constitutional right to a speedy trial. Buying your attorneys time to build a defense is almost always the best strategy. Even if they can't beat all the charges, they can often beat some of them, reduce others, and if things still look grim, they may have enough leverage to get you a plea agreement that's more tolerable than what you'd get from a guilty verdict on even those lesser charges.

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), in the midst of a reelection campaign, was charged with seven counts of corruption in federal court, stemming from favors and gifts received from an oil industry executive and his company. He demanded his speedy trial, and he got it... good and hard. After the replacement of a juror (whose father had died) and a re-start of deliberations, Stevens has been found guilty on all counts. Markos sums up the magnitude of his EPIC FAIL:

He should've had the trial delayed. He might've pulled it off, and worst case scenario, with a post-election indictment, Sarah Palin could've named his replacement keeping the seat in Republican hands. Now, this is yet another piece as we close in on 60.